Five on Friday - Crock Pot Favorites

 With the countdown on to #babywigs I have been testing out a few freezer meals.

These have been huge hits by both big and little's alike.

You can find all of my crock pot freezer meals here.

1.

Angel Pork Chops

OH.

EM.

GEE.

SO GOOD!!!  I want to try this with chicken too.

Pro Tip - I don't put in the cream cheese when I freeze it.  I make sure to leave a note on the bag that I need to add cream cheese when I put it in the crock pot.

2.

Creamy Ranch Chicken

I've never seen my husband or son clean their plates so fast.

Next time, I'm going to add in some frozen veggies about a hour before it's ready to eat.

Pro Tip - I don't freeze the sour cream.  I add that in once I put it in the crock pot.

(Dairy just doesn't freeze/thaw very well)

3.

Lemon Dump Chicken

I love to serve this over rice with steamed broccoli on the side.

4.

Salsa Chicken

No picture - but this one is two ingredients. 

1. Chicken

2. Salsa

That's it!

It's delicious in tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, etc, etc, etc.

Serve with some shredded cheese, sour cream, quac, and beans for a full (and YUMMY!) meal.

5.

This one I modified from Christina at North Carolina Charm.  She had the best crock pot hack 

(check it out here!)

Chicken and Potatoes

I freeze two or three chicken breasts with whatever marinade sounds good.  I put the frozen chicken on one size and (not frozen) potatoes on the other.

And of course I have to give a shout out to my favorite crock pot:

Hamilton Beach Programmable 5 Quart Slow Cooker

I'll never go back to 'non programmable' crock pots again!

Baby Food Pancakes

I attempted to skip the baby cereal phase; however when #wiggydiggy  was around 7 months I picked up a box of Beech Nut oatmeal, just to keep on hand "in case of emergencies".  I waited a week or so before making a bowl and adding some blueberries for dinner one night.  Lil man gobbled it up.....then spit it all up less than an hour later.  

At daycare, they had the same problem - spit up all of the cereal within an hour.  So we began to use a scoop to thicken up some of the thinner puree's I had made.  That worked great until we ran out of the thin puree's.  After a month of the box sitting half empty in the pantry, I decided I had to use it up before it went bad.  To Pinterest I went!

Baby Food Pancakes 

1 cup flour

1/2 cup baby cereal

1/2 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

1/2 cup puree*

1/2 cup milk

*seasonings as preferred

Mix the ingredients and blend until smooth

Scoop a spoonful onto a warm skillet.

Flip after a minute or two.

Can be frozen and reheated as needed!

So far we've used:

Apple/Pear

Pumpkin with cinnamon, ginger and cloves

Sweet Potato/Apple with cinnamon

And they've all been a hit!

(with everyone in the family *winky face*)

5 on Friday - Baby Food Edition

In an effort to clean up my draft posts, I accidentally deleted my Baby Food Edition Post.  

So, here is a new version!

In our house, we use a combo of Baby Led Weaning and homemade puree's.  I personally have a hard time letting #wiggydiggy  eat something that I cannot.  So I try everything I make and I eat everything I serve him (even Gerber Puffs!  Apple Cinnamon....YUM)

Step 1
The Supplies

Gather your necessary utensils:
Food Processor or Blender
Steamer/Rice Cooker or Pot with Steamer Rack
Knife
Cutting Board
Peeler
Trash Bowl
Ice Cube Trays
Spatula
Freezer Bags
Marker

Step 2
Gather up your fruits and veggies and start prepping.

Peel, slice, and dice to your hearts content.  The smaller the pieces, the faster they'll cook.  The exceptions are soft fruits (banana, plum, peach, blueberry, etc.  Just throw straight into the processor) and squash (cut length wise, place face down on a cookie sheet with some water and bake at 350 for about 60 minutes *depends on size of squash*)

I like to put my blends into bowls so I have everything portioned out and easy to see.

Step 3
Steam and Blend

If you have an electric steamer, you can use their User Guide to determine length of steam time.  Tougher fruits/veggies take longer to steam.  If you are steaming on the stove-top - just check periodically until a fork can pierce the food easily and cleanly.

I like to start steaming my toughest veggies first.  While they are steaming, I will blend up a puree of soft fruits that don't require steaming.

In the beginning I made single fruit or veggie purees.  Now I mix a variety together for fun flavors
Simple combinations:

Sweet potato, Apple and Pear
Apple, Banana, Peach and Plum
Pumpkin, Banana and Apple with Cinnamon
Strawberry, Blueberry, Banana
Sweet Potato, Pumpkin and Carrot

Step 4
Pour into Ice Cube Trays and Freeze

I'm not a stickler for the 1 oz equal size.  I buy ice cube trays from the dollar store (2 for $1!).

Once you have a blend all mixed together, grab your spatula and get to pouring!

If you have a better memory than me, you may not need this next tip
I keep a sticky note on the counter with a diagram of what tray is filled with what.  That way when I pull them out of the freeze hours later, I remember what I made!

Once everything is in the freezer, I write out all the freezer bags - Puree and Date.  It helps keep Justin and I on the same page and from letting a puree get ignored for too long.

Step 5
Clean up, Bag and Tag :)

Pop those yummy purees into their freezer bag for easy access in the future!

15 Minute Easy Dinner!

I'm trying to work my way through my Eat, Drink and Be Merry Pinterest Board.  Justin and I need a few more meals to add to our rotation during the week and now that I have my appetite (kinda) back, it's been fun to experiment with new dishes.

This week I made Creamy Balsamic Chicken and it was a hit!  Definitely going to add it to our keeper list.

You need:

chicken tender or chicken breasts cut up - 1 lb

Seasoning of your choice - I used salt, pepper, thyme and a dash of garlic

1 jar Alfredo sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Season the chicken and toss it in a pan to brown it.

Set the browned chicken aside and lower the heat.  Pour in the Alfredo sauce and balsamic vinegar and stir on low heat until mixed.  Then add the chicken back in and cover.

Serve with pasta, rice or steamed veggies!

Even my picky husband cleaned his plate :)

Easy Side Dish - Cheesy Broccoli Orzo

I love cooking.  I love spending time finding recipes to try and them finding ways to tweak them for the next time :)  J and I just started meal planning a week at a time.  It makes it so much easier to grocery shop once a week with our meals in mind AND we are cleaning out the fridge by eating the food instead of throwing it away.  I'm also a Pinterest addict so I scour for recipes to try all the time.  Justin and I have been in a side dish rut.  I'm tired of making just a solitary main dish and no side, or making rice over and over again.  I went on the hunt for an easy side dish that added a little punch of veggies and I found the perfect compliment to so many of our meals.

Enter.....Cheesy Broccoli Orzo.

This stuff is DELICIOUS!  So fast to make and packs a nice flavor punch.  Bonus - I get to mix in Broccoli and not be boring.

Original Recipe

1 cup orzo
1-1/2 cups chopped broccoli florets
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon butter
1/4-1/2 cup 2% milk
salt

1. Boil water and salt.  Add in orzo and boil for 3 minutes

2. Add Broccoli Florets and boil for 2 more minutes (or until orzo is tender)

3. Drain.  Double check and drain again (broccoli holds water)

4. Put orzo and broccoli back into the pot and stir in cheeses, butter and milk.   

My twists.....

Depending on my main course I will season with a variety of my favorites.  

1. Toss in some garlic with the boiling water and add a dash or two of pepper with the cheese.

2. Put a few dashes of lemon juice in the boiling water and add a dash of lemon pepper seasoning and dill with the cheese.

3.  Want something a bit spicy?  Mix in some garlic with the boiling water and add some chili pepper and crushed red pepper with the cheese.

Or be creative and mix your own!  What would you try?